Counting Stars
by DodgersMutant
Summary: David Johnson is best friends with Miles Matheson and Sebastian Monroe. He later became second Commanding General Of the Monroe Militia alongside Miles. He then left with Miles once things got out of hand. Along the way, he finds himself falling for a boy much younger than him. But could he still possibly care for the man that everyone hates? Danny/OC/Sebastian
1. Chapter 1

[CHAPTER ONE]

A bright red Camaro with two black stripes down the middle drove down a highway at a fast speed. Music blared loudly from the radio as cold night air blew in through the open windows. The location was Port Royal, South Carolina. Miles Matheson was behind the wheel as he drove wildly, glancing over every often to his passenger. The passenger was Sebastian Monroe. He held a small phone in his hands as he stared down at the bright screen. David Johnson was in the back seat right behind the driver's seat. He was staring out the window with a can of beer in between his hands.

David Johnson was a well-built muscular man with curly dark brown hair. His left eye was an interesting mix of blue and brown while the right one was simply blue. He was born that way which got him stuck with the nickname of Iris. He was dressed in dark colored jeans, brown boots, and a long-sleeve blue muscle shirt.

"Bass, why don't you just call her?" Miles finally broke the silence. He glanced over to Sebastian who was busy texting his girlfriend. David finally looked away from the window to look towards them.

"Call her? Nobody calls anybody any more. Come on, man! She's 22. She doesn't even talk on the phone." Sebastian replied while locking his phone.

"Did you tell her that you're way older than her?" David called out as Miles laughed at his joke.

"What, you wanna give me some tech advice, huh? You with your big fat Casio 80's brick phone. Yeah." Bass shouted before looking back at David. "Why are you talking? You don't even have a girlfriend!"

"That's what happens when you're gay." David growled as he glared over at Bass. Sebastian shrugged and looked away.

"You don't have a boyfriend either. So don't talk!" Bass said before returning to his phone.

Miles' phone rang and he looked at the caller I.D. "It's my brother. Benjamin, what's up?" He spoke into the phone.

"What's going on? What's the matter?" Miles sounded concern which caused David to lean forward, wanting to hear more.

"We, uh, went out, had a few. We're on our way back to base. What's going on? What's wrong?" David furrowed his brows as he listened to Miles' conversation. He shushed Bass who began to talk.

"What's gonna turn off? What are you talking about? Everything's gonna turn off!" Miles yelled into the phone as it began to lose connection.

Sebastian and David both looked over to Miles with raised brows and confused faces before they turned to face each other. What was Ben talking about? What did he mean by everything turning off?

"Ben? Did I lose you?" Miles screamed once more as the phone cracked.

"No! No! No!" Sebastian shouted as his phone began to turn off. The radio in the car soon turned off as the car rolled to a complete stop.

Miles, David, and Bass quickly got out of the car and turned to look back. Every single car on the highway began to shut off as the headlights flickered off one by one. They soon were enveloped in complete darkness.

"What the hell is going on?" Miles whispered.

-15 Years Later-

David was seated in a leather seat with a glass of whiskey in his left hand. He was inside a hotel in Chicago, Illinois that was now a bar. He was upstairs near a bookshelf as he sipped his whiskey. A book was on his lap, opened to a random page. He heard footsteps and sat up quickly, instantly reaching for his sword.

"That's it. He said to come find you and that you'd help us, and, uh..and then he.." A woman's voice rang out as she was followed by Miles. David eyed the young woman before glancing over to his friend.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I wish I could've ..." Miles trailed off before spotting David. "Oh Charlie meet David, my best friend. David, this is Charlie my niece."

David closed the book and placed it onto the chair as he downed his whiskey. Placing the glass onto a table, he walked over to Charlie and offered a hand.

"Pleasure to meet you Charlie." He said with a wide grin. Charlie seemed to blush at the handsome man before shaking his hand and muttering a quiet hello.

"Why did Monroe want my dad? And why does he want you?" Charlie asked once releasing David's hand. Said male looked at Miles with an arched brow.

"Monroe thinks your dad knew something, something important. And he thinks your dad told me, so, I must know it too." Miles stated before looking at David. "My brother is dead."

"What?" Charlie and David asked at the same time.

"I'm shocked as well." Miles said to David before looking at Charlie and answering her question. "Why the lights went out. Maybe how to turn 'em back on. If Monroe got the power going, that would mean tanks and planes, factories. He'd steamroll the entire continent and he'd butcher the other republics."

"Okay. so what do we do now?" Charlie asked with a loud voice.

"What do we do now about what?"

"How are we gonna get Danny back?"

"I didn't say I was going with you. In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to maintain a certain low profile here."

"No. Look, look, I'm begging you." David looked between the two completely lost. Who was this Danny?

"Your brother is bait. You understand that? I go after it, not good for him ... or for me. I, for one, would like to keep my insides on the inside." Miles headed towards the table to serve himself whiskey. So this Danny was Charlie's brother and Miles' nephew, David concluded.

"No, no, Look! I have ... I have lost everyone that I care about. My mom is dead. My dad is dead. And God knows what they're doing to Danny right now. So you are gonna help me get him back." The young woman's voice cracked as her eyes filled with tears.

"Why's that?" Miles snapped.

"Because we're family." Charlie whispered lamely.

"Family? Kid, I don't even know you." David looked at his best friend in disbelief at the response he gave.

"Yeah, you're right. It was stupid of me to ask. Sorry to bother you." Charlie left with a sniffle as the tears threatened to spill.

"Dude! You have family! What are you doing?" David shouted before following Charlie. Miles groaned and followed after the two.

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked as she saw the teary-eyed Charlie and an unknown man following her.

"Let's get outta here."

"Charlie!" David called out and Nate quickly stood to face the man.

"So what'd you say to her, huh?" Nate yelled before stepping forward to attack this man he didn't know.

David grabbed his arm and pushed him into an oncoming Miles. Miles grabbed the young man's sleeve and pulled it down to reveal the Monroe Militia brand. Everyone's eyes widened as a few patrons steered aside.

"Militia, huh? When'd you enlist?" Miles stated before Nate head-butted him and escaped the bar with his bow and arrow drawn.

"Uncle Miles, this is my fault. I'm ... I'm so sorry." Charlie whimpered with wide eyes.  
"He's probably from the same unit that took your brother. Been following you from the get-go, hoping you'd flush me out, which is exactly what you did, isn't it?"

"So what are you gonna do?" Aaron asked quietly.

"This, as far as I know, is the last bottle of single malt in Chicago. My plan is to sit here and drink it." Miles raised a bottle before heading up the stairs. David, Charlie, Aaron, and Maggie followed him.

"We can't just stay here. It's not safe!" David yelled as they made it upstairs. Miles began to pour himself a glass.

"Who are you?" Maggie asked David with raised brows.

"David Johnson. The best friend of this lunatic. Who are you?" David stated with a gentle nod.

"I'm Maggie and this is Aaron." Maggie responded in her quiet British accent.

"Skip the introductions! Charlie's boyfriend is gonna go and get the nearest squad. Two, maybe three hours tops is what you got. So if I were you guys, I'd hit the road."

"This is crazy. just come with us. Or don't, that's fine. But go somewhere. You can't just sit here and die." Charlie yelled as she ran a hand through her blonde hair.

"Just go." Miles whispered as he took a sip from his glass.

"Uncle Miles, come on."

"I said go. Get out! Get outta here!" Miles shouted angrily. Aaron and Maggie were quick to grab their stuff and head out. Charlie was hesitant as her blue eyes darted towards David's strange colored eyes.

"Go. I'll try and talk some sense into him!" David replied before offering her a soft smile. It was enough as Charlie headed out with a nod.

"Go ahead and try. It won't work." Miles muttered as he looked over to David. David looked back at him before stepping towards him with a shake of his head.

"Miles, we need to leave because soon the militia will be here and we'll be screwed." The younger male stated with concern.

"David," Miles whispered as he placed a hand behind the other's neck and drew him closer. David was an inch taller than Miles, standing at 6'1". He gulped loudly as Miles lips were an inch apart from his.

"Don't." David whimpered but the older male ignored him and brought their lips together. It was a very slow and passionate kiss. They both pulled away slowly as David shut his eyes tightly.

"You do that on purpose to get your way. Sebastian and you always did this to me."  
"It's not my fault you're gay and can't resist us." Miles drawled before heading up more stairs. "Pack your things we're leaving."

David stood there in shock. He had actually won an argument! Grinning, he ran up the stairs and into his room to pack.

~~  
David had packed his things into a giant hiking backpack that looked similar to the one that Aaron had been wearing. It was full of clothing, shoes, toiletries, food, supplies, and even weapons. He pulled it on and reached for his sheath. It was a black sheath with inscriptions in gold color. Inside was his long sword, his most valuable prized possession.

He was heading out his room when he heard a bunch of footsteps. Crouching down, he peered over the balcony and spotted some men from the militia. They all had muskets and Nate stood by talking to the leader. David cursed before turning and seeing Miles. The man nodded at him before heading down the stairs with both his short swords.

"I don't wanna hurt them. But I'm not going back. You know, you could just let me go. I'll drink myself to death." Miles called out as he stood at the top steps.

"You know we can't do that. And where's your friend?" Nate stated with a smirk.

"Take him. Now! Shoot him!" The commanding officer shouted as the men ran forward. A few began to load their muskets while the others pulled swords out.

Miles ran down with both swords in each hand. He sliced his way through the first attackers as the men with muskets prepared to aim. Suddenly a man came swinging down from the balcony. It was David and he was using a curtain to swing down. He dropped his giant backpack on one man who fell to the side.  
Jumping off, he pulled out his sword. The sun glinted off it for a moment before he swung forward. It sliced through the stomach of one man with a musket. The others quickly advanced towards him ready to attack with their muskets. David and Miles were quick to slice through the soldiers but they soon found themselves surrounded by men.

One of them suddenly falls dead, an arrow through his chest. Miles and David looked past him and saw Charlie standing there, crossbow in hand. She exchanged looks with Miles and David before turning back and running out. Two of the soldiers followed after her.

Miles and David quickly faced the rest of the soldiers as they sliced them down one by one. Nate then ran off before Miles faced David.

"Go check on Charlie!" He shouted before facing the Commanding Officer. David nodded before turning and running down the hall after Charlie.

David ran down the hallway quickly before stopping when he saw Aaron. Aaron was standing by with a metal bar in his hand and a militia soldier lay by on the floor. He began to stand which caused Aaron to start backing up. David pulled his sword out and stabbed the soldier through the gut. Maggie then appeared with a look of relief as David began to wipe his bloody sword off the man.

"Let's check on Charlie!" Maggie shouted before running out of the hotel, Aaron following.

David sheathed his sword before crouching down to pick up the musket by the dead soldier. He grabbed the last few packs of gun powder and slipped it into his pocket. Picking up the musket he slung it over his shoulder before running out the hotel.

~~  
Miles, David, Maggie, Aaron, and Charlie were now all seated at the bar. Miles was drinking from his malt bottle as Maggie stood behind him sewing up a wound at the back of his shoulder. Aaron and Charlie sat on stools drinking soda. David had his backpack back on as he threw back a shot of whiskey. The musket now on the ground.

"You know, I didn't ask you to come back" Miles finally said as he looked around him.

"Don't look at me. I wanted to let you rot"  
Maggie stated before glancing over to David. "I was willing to come back for him though." David smiled happily at this.

"We're family, and that's what my dad would have wanted." Charlie stated as she slid her glass away.

"Kid, if I'm coming with you, you're gonna have to dial it back a notch."

"You're coming?" Charlie asked happily. David grinned at this widely.

"Loverboy will just send more troops. I can't stay here."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. We're all gonna end up with our heads on a stick, but you're welcome."

Miles' comment caused Aaron's eyes to widen in shock. David shook his head before hopping off his stool. He studied the other man who seemed to be stuck in a memory.

"Miles." David called out as he made his way around the bar. He nudged Miles' arm before speaking. "Let's go."

Aaron and Maggie stood waiting by the door which let in a huge ray of sunlight. Miles looked up at David before standing up and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. They all then exited the hotel and headed out into the chaos of the world.


	2. Chapter 2

[CHAPTER TWO]

It was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the big blue sky. There were a few birds chirping in the trees of the surrounding forest. David, Charlie, Aaron, and Maggie all stood together on a desolate street. There were old iron railroad tracks heading down between a wide gap from the forest. Bright signs warned everyone from the tracks.

Aaron was drinking from his canteen as he wiped his sweat stained forehead with the back of his hand. Maggie was looking around the area before her eyes settled on Charlie's form. Charlie seemed lost in thought as she stared straight ahead, eyes settled on a patch of dying grass. David was standing by her with his right hand perched on the hilt of his sword. He would be ready in case of an attack.

"Charlie. You all right?" Breaking the silence, Maggie glanced over at the young woman.

"I'm fine, Maggie. Just thinking." Charlie answered while looking up at the other blonde woman.

"We'll get your brother back. Don't worry." David stated as he sent a warm smile in her direction. Charlie looked at the handsome man before nodding.

The sounds of swords clanging interrupted the silence that soon enveloped them all. Everyone's heads jerked up as they tried to pinpoint the sound. David drew his own sword and stepped towards the noise.

"Do you hear that?" Aaron asked as he put his canteen away and fixed his glasses.

"Hey, where's Miles?" Charlie asked as she looked around rapidly for any sign of her uncle.

"Crap." David stated before taking off running down the railroad tracks. He had his sword out in case it was needed.

Charlie, Aaron and Maggie ran after David and rushed down by some railroad cars. They all spotted Miles sword-fighting with a stranger. He was wearing a milita uniform and looked around Miles' age or maybe older.

"Careful now. Monroe wants me alive, doesn't he?" Miles stated with an arched brow.

"That's true. But he never said how many limbs." The man responded as we swung his sword. His sword hit David's sword as he stepped into the fight.

"David?" The man asked as he studied the obviously taller man. His eyes were wide in shock as he couldn't belive the sight.

"Hello Jacob." David responded before sending a fist into the man's face and knocking him unconscious.

Miles grinned and went to raise his sword to kill the now-named soldier but Charlie stopped him. She stepped forward and held her hands out.

"Miles. Miles, stop!" She shouted as she pulled her uncle back by his shirt sleeve.

"What?" Her uncle responded in annoyance as he faced her.

"He's unconscious."

"He's a bounty hunter - probably not alone, either. Area's crawling with them."

"Okay, so what ... you're just gonna murder him in cold blood?"

"Yeah, Charlie, that's the idea."

"Miles, please don't." Charlie begged.

"It's like, one day into this trip. You're already a pain in the ass. All right." Miles rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword before facing David.

"Help me get him into a boxcar. We got to lock him up." David nodded and sheathed his own sword. He grabbed an arm of the unconscious Jacob and helped Miles drag him into a boxcar where he was locked in.

Once the bounty hunter was locked up into a boxcar, the small group headed out into a town. They entered a marketplace in Pontiac, Illinois and walked around. Their eyes scanned every stand and the owners of them.

They passed a tall African American man who was holding an old torn bible in his hands. He was standing on an old wash tub and preaching rather loudly.

"And that's why God caused the blackout, friends. Why he wiped away our cars and planes, batteries and spark plugs, computers and phones. Because we built ourselves an electric Tower of Babel. We had power but no truth. Followers but no family."

David listened to the man as they passed him before continuing walking. He furrowed his brows and thought about what he had said. Aaron then muttered something about a sale on heroin and he could only chuckle. They passed a couple of milita soldiers who were beating the crap out of a civilian.

"What did that man do?" Charlie asked as they quickly averted their gazes and quickened their paces.

"It's the militia. Could be anything. Spoke up. Looked at them sideways. Who knows?" David answered as he shook his head.

"Danny's riding with guys like that and we're ... What are we doing here?" Charlie asked as she looked up at the man. David shrugged and nodded his head towards Miles.

"Told you! I need to talk to somebody!" Miles answered angrily as he scowled at both before walking faster. Charlie jogged up to him and spoke.

"Miles, wait. My little brother's out there somewhere. He hasn't been more than five miles from home since he was a kid and it's my job to look out for him."

"If you want to see him again, we're gonna have to go up against Monroe himself and a couple thousand of his men. I can't do that alone, I need help and my help is here. Be right back."

"Where are you going?" David called out.

"This little place called 'shut up and stay here.'" Miles responded as he walked away from the group.

David huffed in annoyance before rubbing the back of his neck. Aaron and Maggie looked at each other before facing Charlie. She was still staring after Miles' retreating figure. David walked over to a woman whose stand held apples. He smiled charmingly at her before slipping an apple into his coat pocket.

Suddenly some soldiers walked over to them, they grabbed Maggie, Charlie, and Aaron by their arms and pulled them back.

"Uh dude, you may want to return the apple!" Aaron called out, voice shaking.  
David turned with a confused expression before spotting the soldiers.

"Come with us." A soldier stated before they cuffed David's hands in front of him. He obliged once they threatened his friends.

They were led into the same place that Miles had slipped inside. The soldiers held knives against Maggie's, Charlie's, and Aaron's throats. David was shoved forward to stand beside Miles.

"Yeah, I don't know them." Miles stated.

"Really? They were walking around the train yard with you. Plus they spotted David beside these three at the market." Jacob, the bounty hunter, spoke up.

"So? We met them yesterday. I've been trying to bang the British chick. David was probably trying to get the ACDC fan." David looked at Miles with a glare as Aaron looked at them weirdly.

"Right because Mr. Johnson is you won't care if I slice them open." Jacob smirked before nodding to his men.  
The men pressed their knives harder against their throats as they all cried out in pain. David's eyes widened in shock before he yelled out.

"We know them, we know them!" He shouted as he tried to run towards them. He was only pulled back.

"All right! All right! Let them go." Miles yelled.

"Miles. David." Charlie whispered as the soldiers dragged her, Maggie, and Aaron back out.

"Not a word." Miles warned. David could only send one of his many reassuring smiles towards his friends.

"Let's go." Jacob ordered. Jacob and his men began to lead David and Miles. They were both cuffed with chains in the middle.

As they were lead back into the marketplace, Miles and David shared a knowing gaze before springing into action. David elbowed both men behind him before grabbing one man and snapping his neck.

Miles and him were quick on their feet as they punched men unconscious and stabbed them with their own knives. All the soldiers dropped dead as Jacob took off running. Miles chased after him and began strangling him with his chain.

"Is Nora here or not?" Miles yelled as the man began to choke on the chain. He could only shake his head as no air rushed into his lungs.

"Where is she?" David asked as he stepped towards them. He was busy uncuffing himself with a set of keys that he took from a dead soldier.

"She's probably dead by now. She got arrested for stealing militia gold. They put her in some work camp south of here in Fort Chatsworth, I think." Jacob breathed out in choked breaths.

Miles nodded before snapping his neck. He stood and turned around to see David, Charlie, Aaron, and Maggie watching him. His best friend stepped forward and took off his cuffs before tossing the key aside. Charlie looked at him in disbelief before walking away to retrieve their bags and weapons.

~~  
Captain Neville was perched on his horse with his sun glasses on. His group of men were following him closely. Two were both on a wagon as it followed behind Neville. The rest of the men walked alongside with their weapons in hands. Danny was seated in the back of the wagon, handcuffed to a metal bar. Cornfields were on either side of them as they went along. A gun shot rang out and everyone paused in their tracks.

"You hear that? What'd that sound like to you, Danny boy?" Neville asked as he glanced over to the young man.

They followed the noise and arrived at a farmhouse. It was a medium sized house with a wide immense yard. There was a dead deer hanging from a pole upside down in the yard. Neville climbed down from his horse and was followed by a few men. At the porch, he knocked on the screen door and removed his glasses.

A man approached the door wearing a flannel shirt over a white shirt with blue jeans and brown boots. He was wiping his hands with a rag as he pushed open the door. The man looked at them all curiously before facing Neville.

"Can I help you?" The man asked with a raised brow.

"You know, my wife, Julia, she grills these venison steaks. I don't know what she does to them, but, man, oh, man! It's like she smothers them with love." Neville said with a wide grin.

"Sounds ... good." The man answered strangely.

"You'll get a lot of steaks out of this guy. Burly son of a bitch. How'd you bring him down?" Neville motioned to the buck as he spoke.

"Crossbow." The man lied.

"And I suppose he got this buckshot from a bar fight?" Neville's voice went serious as he said this.

"Listen, I don't know what you think that I ..." The man began but was cut off by Neville.

"Sir! Are you familiar with the Baltimore Act? "It shall be unlawful for any citizen of the Monroe Republic to buy, sell, own, or transport any firearm." Except loyal militia of course. Now the penalty for this ... is death. So I'm gonna only ask you once. Is there something you'd like to share?"

The man retrieved a rifle from inside and throws it to the ground near Neville. His brows were furrowed in worry as sweat formed on his forehead.

"Thank you." Neville said before facing his men. "Search the house!"

"Hey, hey! That's all I got!" He shouted as the men advanced.

"And you're just a beacon of trust." Neville said with a sneer.

The man reached back in the house and grabbed a gun. He shoots one of two soldiers approaching the house. Neville draws his revolver and shoots the man in the chest. The man dropped dead before Neville slipped his gun back in his holster. He then kneeled down beside his wounded man and placed a hand on his chest.

"Easy, son. Easy, easy, easy, easy. Just take it easy there. Let me see. Let me see. Let me see. Open up." Neville said as the soldiers ran into the house.

A soldier comes back out of the house and unfolds an American flag. "Sir" Neville glanced over at the flag.

"Burn it. Burn everything!" He shouted loudly as the soldiers got to work.

It was now night time. The sun was gone by now and the sky was a shade of purple and blue. Stars twinkled in the sky above as the small group of Charlie, Aaron, Miles, Maggie, and David sat around the campfire. Their bags were laying around beside them.

"You know, it was probably all my fault. Yeah. It was, I blame myself." Miles stated as he rubbed both wrists.

"We made it out okay." Charlie replied.

"Mm, yeah. That went like clockwork." Miles grunted.

"Water bottle, please. Aaron?" Maggie said since Aaron sat by the bags.

Aaron reached into Maggie's backpack but pulled out a cell phone instead. He studied the phone with a curious brow before facing Maggie and holding the phone out.

"What are you doing with an IPhone?" He asked and Maggie snatched the phone away. She slipped it into her pocket.

"Water bottle, please." Maggie said rather angrily. Aaron handed her the water bottle as David looked up from his spot on a log.

"Hey David? What did that man mean back there about you being different?" Charlie asked, looking over at him.

"It's because I'm gay." David responded while picking at dirt underneath his nails. There seemed to be an awkward silence after his statement but they all nodded.

"That's perfectly fine." Maggie responded which made David smile widely at her before he thanked her.

"Charlie, next time I tell you I want to kill somebody, let me kill them." Miles said to Charlie before he stood and grabbed his things.

"What are you doing?" Charlie asked as she slowly stood. David stood as well and dusted his jeans off.

"I'm learning my lesson. I'll meet you in two weeks. Main street in Lowell, Indiana. you got that? David, let's go." Miles slung his bag over his shoulder.

"No, wait. You're leaving?" Charlie asked. David was at crossroads as he stood by his backpack. Should he go with his best friend or stay with these people he barely knew?

"I got to go get Nora. We need her." Miles responded.

"Who is this woman anyway?"

"She's really good at blowing stuff up. And we can't get Danny back without her, trust me."

"Miles, please, let us come with you."

"Hey, you dragged me out here! Lowell, Indiana. Two weeks. Come on David!" Miles shouted.

David pulled on his backpack and grabbed his sword. He faced Maggie, Charlie, and Aaron before smiling softly.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he's there." He stated before jogging after Miles.


End file.
